Grain-saving device for threshing-machines.



`J.K. 'SHARPE, Jn.

GRAIN SAVING DEVICE FOR THRESHING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED AuG.4,I9I3.

1, 175,01 9, PIIIQIIIIIII Mar. 14, 1916.

2 SHEETSfSHEET l.

I. K. SHARPE, IR.

GRAIN sAvlNG DEvwE FOR THHEsHlNG MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-4, I9I3. l 1,1?5619, Patented Mm'. I4, 1916.

2 sHEETsMsHEET 2.

SHARPE, JR.,

JOSEPH K.

OF INDIANAPOLIS,

INDIANA.

GRAIN-SAIVING DEVICE FOR THR-ESHING-MACHINES.

Application led August 4, 1913.

To ZZ whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, JOSEPH K. SUARPE, Jr.. acitizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county ofMarion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Grain-Saving Devices for Threshing-Machines, of whichthe following is a specification.

In threshing grain the greater portion thereof is separated from thestraw by the cylinder of the threshing machine, to which it is firstintroduced, after which the straw, together with chaff. etc., is causedto travel rapidly through the machine to be further operated upon by amultiplicity of separating devices such as vibrating racks, conveyers.sieves, winnowers, and the like, and discharged at the rear end of themachine, from which it is conveyed` usually by a wind stacker. to astraw stack or elsewhere. However. it is well known in practice that aconsiderable portion of the grain does not become separated from thestraw, chaff and tailings during the threshing operation, but is carriedfrom the machine with the discharging straw and chaff to the strawstackand becomes wasted, so that a material loss of grain occurs to a more orless extent each time a threshing or similar machine is operated inthc-held or elsewhere.

The object of my invention is to provide means, in connection with thewindstacker, by which such grain may be separated from the materialdischarging thereinto from the threshing machine, and saved by divertingit from the stacker hopper into a suitable receptacle or otherwise.

In the accompanying drawings, which are made a parthereof. Figure 1 isalongitudinal sectional view taken on the dotted line 1-1 in Fig. 2through the rear end of a threshing machine and awind stacker andshowingmy invention in connection therewithf` Fig. 2, a horizontalsectional view taken on the. dotted line 2 2 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3, av rearelevation of the stacker: Fig. 4, a transverse sectional view throughthe stacker as seen when looking in the direction indicated by thearrows 4-1 in Fig. Q; Fig. .3, a perspective in fragment showing myimproved grain catcher, and Fig. G a similar view showing a modifiedform thereof.

In the form which I have preferred to illustrate my said invention inthe drawings, the portion marked 10 indicates a threshing machine, whichmay be of any Well known Specification of Letters Patent.

latented Mar. 11. 1916.

Seria] No. 782,882.

construction, provided with thc usual straw rack or conveyor, as 11, andchaff riddle or winnower, as 1L), which communicate with a materialreceiving chamber` such as a wind stacker hopper, 15, which lattercommunicates with a fan. 16, positioned in a fancasing, 1T, fordischarging material through a chute, 18, as usual. The hopper 15 ispreferably of a sloping character, as indicated most plainly in Figs. 3and 4, and a portion of its lower end is cut away to receive a graincatcher the lower portion of which is positioned considerably below thewalls, 20, Q1, of the hopper. Said grain catcher coniprises one or more(but preferably several) guides, 2l, of any suitable form orconstruction, but which preferably are tapered in form. their lowersides inclining downwardly and their upper sides being approximately inline with a beaded or projecting grain deflector, Q3, preferablyassociated with the fan-casing 17, the ends of said guides Q4 being inclose proximity to said grain defiector Q3 and inclining away therefromto their lower sides (see Fig. 4), the result being that a larger spaceconstituting a grain outlet, 19. is provided between the lower sides ofsaid guides Q4 and said fancasing 17 than between the upper sides ofsaid guides and grain deflector 23. Said grain catcher may be formed ofa single sheet of material suitably corrugated, as indicated in Fig. 5,to provide guides, as 24, but such guides may be made separately andaflixed to a base plate. as as shown in Fig. (i, or if desired thestructure shown in Fig. 5 may be placed on said plate, in either ofwhich cases substantially the same structure is secured and the. sameresults attained and as will be readily understood also, wherepracticable, said hopper 15 maybe so formed as to embody said graincatching device as au integral part thereof. As indicated by dotted andfull lines in Fig. 2, I lead an auxiliary blast pipe, 30, fromfan-casing 17 and at the end thereof provide a nozzle, 31, which isfitted into a spaced portion, at 32, Fig. 4, of the hopper 15 at a pointwhere the blast therefrom will be directed and distributed across theguides 24 and into the fan opening, 33. As said fan-casing and auxiliaryblast pipe are substantially the same in construction and arrangement asshown and described in United States Letters Patent No. 1,028,793,issued June 4, 191i-, upon my application, the same will not Gti be morespecifically described herein. Beneath said 'grain catcher I place aconveyor of any appropriate construction and a1'- rangement, which leadsto the tailings auger, 35, of the threshing machine, or other desiredpart thereof, the conveyer shown for purposes of illustration beingcomposed of a casing, 37, open at a portion of its upper side beneaththe opening 19 between guides 21 and fan-casing 17 and having a hood,3S, covering said open portion. In said casing 37 I place a continuousconveyer composed of sprocket chains, 41, connected by cross members',40, said chains being mounted on sprockets, 42, 43, shown in dottedlines in Fig. 1, at each end of the casing. Said conveyer may be drivenin any suitable manner, a simple arrangement being that shown in Fig. 2,consisting of shaft, 45, mounted in suitable supports, upon one end ofwhich shaft a sprocket, 4G, is mounted which communicates with sprocket,47, by means of chain, 48, said sprocket 47 being mounted on the shaftwhich supports sprocket 42. The outer end of shaft #l5 is provided witha friction pulley, 19, which is held by a spring, 50, against drivingbelt, 51, running about pulley, forming part of the threshing machine.

In operation, the straw traveling over the separating mechanisms,.l1,and the chaff, etc.. discharging from the winnowers, 12, over thetail-piece, 13, are deposited in hopper l5, which materials by gravity,the blast from nozzle 31, and suction from fan 1G, are conveyed intosaid fan and discharged through chute 18 onto a stack or elsewhere.While the straw and chaff are thus being deposited in said hopper aconsiderable portion of unthreshed heads and loose grain (which has notbeen gathered in the threshing machine) is carried therewith into thehopper, and, being solid and heavy, the kernels and heads work throughthe other material, striking the hopper and traveling into the graincatcher between the guides 24 where such grain and heads are shieldedfrom the straw and chaff riding on over the guides and into the fan. Thegrain is thus trapped in the grain catcher, and, by the blast fromnozzle 31, is driven against the fan-casing 17 and under detlector Q3 bywhich it is intercepted and precipitated through opening 19 intoeonveyer 37, and thereby conveyed to tailings auger 35 and by which andother devices present in a threshing machine it is returned to themachine and is caught and saved therein by the various mechanismsprovided for catching grain separated by the cylinder and otherwise.

Vhile I have shown and described an auxiliary blast pipe associated withthe stacker fan for discharging a blast across said grain catcher, I donot desire to be understood as limiting myself to such arrangement, tor,as is obvious, fans and blast conveying ducts may be operated from otherparts of the machinery for such purpose, and also it will be understoodthat, under some conditions, such blast devicesmay be dispensed with,as, for instance, where the hoppers are provided with conveyers whichmay etliciently direct material to the guides and stacker fan, thelatter withdrawing and discharging the straw while the loose grain willbe saved in the manner hereinbefore stated. I desire it to be understoodalso that, while I have shown an endless conieyer for returning thesaved grain to the threshing machine, I may accomplish the same resultby blast mechanism or otherwise, or may omit a conveyer entirely andpermit the material from the grain catcher to fall upon the ground or insacks or other receptacles, if desired.

I claim as my invention:

1. A grain saving device for threshing machines, comprising afan-casing, a fan therein, and a material receiving hopper communicatingwith said casing for conveying material thereinto and provided with anoutlet at approximately its juncture with said casing through whichgrain separated from the material vbefore it enters said fan casing maybe discharged from said hopper independently of the other material.

2. A grain saving device for threshing machines, comprising afan-casing, a fan therein, a material receiving hopper comnnmicatingwith said casing for conveying material thereinto and provided with anoutlet, and means in said hopper for separating grain from straw wherebystraw may be directed into said fan and the grain directed through saidoutlet separately from the straw and saved therefrom.

3. A grain saving device for threshing machines, comprising afan-easing, a Jfan therein, a. material receiving and conveying hoppercommunicating with said casing and provided with an outlet, and a guideleading from said hopper to said casing over which straw passes intosaid casing and by which grain separated from said straw is shieldedtherefrom and discharges through the outlet ot' said hopper.

4. A device of the character described, comprising a material receivingand conveying receptacle having means therein through which grainseparated from other material is precipitated. a fan communicating withone side of said receptacle for withdrawing material therefrom anddischarging the same, and means associated with said receptacle fordirecting material toward said fan to cause a portion of the same toenter said fan and a portion thereotI to pass through said receptacle.

5. A device of the character described,

comprising a material-receiving and conveying receptacle having meanstherein through which grain separated from other material isprecipitated, a fan at one side of said re- .ceptacle for withdrawingmaterial therefrom and discharging the same, and blast producing meansopposite said fan for discharging a blast through said receptacle toseparate grain from other material.

G. A grain saving device for threshing machines, comprisng a fan-casing,a tan therein, a materia-l receiving and conveying hopper communicatingwith said fan- Casing, means associated therewith for separating grainfrom straw, means through which said separated grain is discharged fromrthe hopper, and means for directing the straw into said fan.

7. A grain saving device for threshing machines, comprising afan-casing, a fan therein, a material receiving and conveying hoppercommunicating with said fan-casing and having a grain dischargingoutlet, meansassociated therewith for separating grain Jfrom strawbefore the straw enters said fan casing, and means for returning such.separated grain to the threshing machine. f

S. A grain saving device for threshing machines, comprising a materialreceiving and conveying receptacle, a fan-casing communicating with saidreceptacle, a fan in said casing, means associated with said receptaclefor guiding straw into said fan and separating grain therefrom beforesuch straw enters said fan and means associated with. said fan-casingfor detlecting such separated grain through said receptacle.

' 9. In a grain saving device for threshing machines, the combination ofa material receiving and conveying receptacle having a ,C-rainfdischarging outlet therein, a fan communicating with saidreceptacle, means associated with said receptacle for separating grainfrom other material before such materialr enterssaid fan, and means forintercepting and deflecting such separated grain through said outlet.

10; In a grain saving device for threshing machines` the combination ofa material receivingir and conveving receptacle having a graindischarging outlet therein, a fan communicating` with said receptacle,means associated with said receptacle for separating grain from othermaterial before such material.` enters-said fan. means for interceptingandv d'eiecting such separated grain through said outlet. and means forreturning such separated grain to the threshing machine.

11. In a grain saving device for threshing machines` the combination ofa material receiving and conveying receptacle having a grain dischargingoutlet therein, a fan communicating with said receptacle, meansassociated with said receptacle for separating grain from other materialbefore such material enters said fan, means for intercepting anddetlecting such separated grain through said outlet, and a convever forreturning such separated grain to the threshing machine.

12. In a grain saving device for threshing machines, amaterial-receiving and conveying receptacle having a grain dischargingoutlet therein, means associated withA said receptacle for separatinggrain from other material, aA fan communicating with said receptacle,and means for directing material across and between said separatingmeans in the. direction of said fan.

13. In a grain saving device for threshing machines, the combination ofa material receiving and conveying receptacle having a grain dischargingoutlet therein, a fan comn'iunicating with said receptacle` meansassociated with said receptacle for separating grain from other materialbefore such materi-al enters vsaid tan, means for directing materialacross said separating means toward said fan, and means for de'lectingseparated grain through said outlet.

14. In a grain saving device for threshing machines, the combination ofa material receiving and conveying receptacle having a grain dischargingoutlet therein, a fan communicating with said receptaclemeans asso-vciated with said receptacle Jfor sepa 1ating grain from other materialbefore such material enters said fan, means for directing materialacross said separating means toward said fan. means for defiectingseparated grain through said outlet` and means for returning separatedgrain to the threshing machine.

15. In a device of the character described, a Jfan casing, a fantherein, a material receiving and conveving hopper connnunicating withsaid fan-casing and a portion of which is spaced therefrom, said hoppercomprising corrugations between which grain is trapped from materialwhich passes over said corrugations and discharged from said hopperseparatehY from said other material.

1G. A grain saving device for threshing machines, comprising afan-casing. a tan therein. a material receiving and conveying hoppercommunicating with said tan-casing and a. portion of which is spacedtherefrom` and a grain deflector adjoining the inlet of said fan-casingwhereby grain separated from other material` in said hopper will bedeflected through said spaced portion.

17. In a. grain saving device for threshing machines, a fan-casing, atan therein, a material receiving and conveying hopper communicatingwith said casing` and a defiector adjoining the inlet oi said fan casingfor preventing grain separated from other material from enteringtherein.

18. In a grain saving device for threshing machines, a fan-casing, a fantherein, and a material receiving and conveying hopper communicatingwith said fan-casing, a portion of which is spaced ,therefrom at itsjuncture with said casing to permit grain to be separated from straw anddischarged througl'i said space before the latter enters saidfan-easing. v

l1). In a grain saving device for threshing machines, a fan, a materialreceiving and conveying receptacle communicating there- Vwith, meansassociated with-said receptacle and interposed between the strawdelivering means of the thresher and said fan adjacent the inlet of thelatter and in the path of travel of the material discharging from saiddelivering means, for separating and trapping grain mingled with suchmaterial before the latter enters said fan.

20. In a grain saving device for threshing machines, a fan, a materialreceiving and conveying receptacle communicating therewith, a grain trapassociated with said receptacle and adjacent the inlet of saidv fancomprising means for capturing grain sepa rated from other materialbefore the latter enters said fan. f 21. In a grain saver, thecombination of a main separator adapted todeliver straw,

chaff and unseparated grain to the rear thereof, a material receivingand conveying receptacle arranged transversely of said separator intowhich said materials are discharged, means :for causing said materialsto travel through said receptacle, means for conveying said materialsaway from said receptacle, and auxiliary separating means associatedwith said receptacle including an outlet between it and said conveyerthrough which grain is discharged.

QQ. In .a grain saving device for threshing machines, the combination ofa fan for dis charging straw and chaff, a material-receiving andconveying receptacle communicating therewith` means adjacent said fanfor separating grain from straw and chaff by gravity action, and meansfor directing an independent blast of air in line with the travel ot thematerial into said fan wherebv straw and chaff are blown into the fanand. grain falls into said separating means.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

Lian R. Gaumen.

